Posted: Sun, Jul 2, 2017, 9:46 AM ET (1346 GMT)
United Launch Alliance beat SpaceX for a launch contract for an Air Force mission. The Air Force announced June 29 it selected ULA for the June 2019 launch of the Space Test Program 3 mission. ULA will launch the mission on an Atlas 5 551 under a contract valued at $191.1 million. The award was the third EELV-class mission competed by the Air Force. SpaceX won the previous two competitions, both for GPS satellite launches. SpaceX said that, given the mission requires for STP-3, it would have had to bid a Falcon Heavy, a vehicle which has not yet launches, and acknowledged that it would likely lose the competition.